Normal shampoo strips the moisture from your hair so for this workshop we made a natural shampoo. We used a recipe provided by Amanda Rew of Baldwins, a fantastic herbal shop in Elephant and castle, which uses the stimulating properties of Rosemary and Mint to clean and energise hair.

The workshop was popular and soon we were finding extra chairs to seat new comers. Firstly we went through all the ingredients: Fresh or dried Mint and Rosemary, Jojoba oil, Liquid Castille soap, Rosemary and Mint essential oil. We then collectively stripped the mint which gave everyone a chance to chat with each other.

As the mixture was cooking for 15 minutes we went on a short foraging tour around the garden to find other wild plants which can be used for medicine. We found Ribwort Plantain, good for making skin creams, Calendula Marigold again good for creams. We also identified edible herbs full of nutrients which would help skin and hair: Yarrow, Wild Rocket, Sow Thistle (Which were used by Gladiators before a fight), Elderflower, Ox Eye daisy, Wild Mustard all within a tiny space.

There were varying levels of knowledge but everyone chipped in and new knowledge was shared alongside nibbles of plants.

Back at the pot, essential oils, Castille soap and Jojoba oil were added and people eagerly lined up to fill their bottles for a sample to take home.

I’ve used the shampoo and have since seen others that have sampled it and everyone still has their hair!